Interview with Liar Thief Bandit (2017)

Swedish rockers Liar Thief Bandit are currently on the rampage touring through Europe. Today the german leg starts in Rostock. Further stations will see the band also perform in Lingen on 21.12.2017 at the Bul Bar & Lounge as part of the Lingen Volume concert series. Through the show announcement for Lingen I got to know about them.

My first introduction to their music was the official video for "Lease On Life" and that made me so curious that I asked for a interview to find out more about the band. We had the pleasure to speak with vocalist Mike Jacobson how the band started, how the outstanding vocals changed over time and which unexpected meetings you can have while being on the road...

A bandshot of Liar Thief Bandit, Photo Credit:
Dan Leo Lindeberg
https://photobydan.se

Heavy Metal Underdogs: Do you remember the first time the band did rehearse back in the day? What happened?

Mike Jacobson: I remember the first time we rehearsed. It was a little special because our drummer William and I had started to work on one of my earliest ideas for the song “Moving On” that ended up on our debut album later on. We had gotten to know each other through our former bass player since we both played in his solo project and when he later joined us for our second or third rehearsal the magic started happen and the band formed for real. Those first steps were very important and I am happy that we took them!

Are many of your songs inspired by your own real life experiences or what else inspires you to write songs?

I write all the lyrics and they are inspired by both my own experiences and my own thoughts about things happening in my surroundings but also in the world at large.

The songs doesn’t always represent me but they always represent something I can relate to and I think that is important!



Do you have any anecdote of strange things that happened recently playing a show or traveling around?

We got a last minute show on our first European tour in April this year. This was in Slavonice, Czech Republic on a Sunday and we didn’t expect much. The show was outside a small town on the countryside, the place was like a barn. The show was pretty early in the evening and it was packed with people! Very unexpected, especially when a guy who was introduced to us as "an old punk rocker” came there by horse from his home 20 km away - he smoked some pot and asked if I wanted to trade my Orange guitar amplifier for his horse. I did not, but I loved that we got to meet this unique human being!

The vocals stand out of the sound of Liar Thief Bandit. Do you think your voice evolved and changed over the years?

My vocals have definitely evolved since we started. I have gotten way better at singing and I think it’s mainly because we have played so many shows, it really helps you to find the core of the voice when it’s exposed to so many different situations.

Your website is great - fast and easy to navigate. Was it your intention to go a different way than the usual overloaded websites you can find nowadays?

Thank you! Yes, this was intentional. I think that today people don’t really visit websites as much as before but when they do, it’s important that they find what they are looking for as fast as possible. I think we got that one right.

Futher tourdates and information on Liar Thief Bandit can be found on the band's Facebook page as well as the mentioned homepage.

Interview with Alex Garoufalidis (Kings Call, Melodic Hard Rock 2017)

The band played a club show last month in my hometown in Lingen as part of the new concert series "Lingen Volume". They brought a big bag of straight going Hard Rock numbers and combined them with longer songs that gave room for experimental solo sections as well as lots of lessons on how to use those instruments properly.

The live line-up is build as a three-piece combo. It was founded by guitarist Alex Garoufalidis who also performed the vocal tracks on that night. We had the pleasure to speak with him about the life and work as a dedicated guitar player, his origins and inspirations for songs and lyrics at the beginning and also asked about a little insight into the upcoming new album "Showdown"...
 
Heavy Metal Underdogs: Having heard some songs live I was impressed by the mixture of classic Rock, Metal, partly blues elements and some guitar wizardry. How do you inspire yourselves for new songs?
Alex Garoufalidis: The inspiration for new songs…life itself.  I don’t want to limit my music to a certain genre… to a certain expectation…I’ve travelled all over the world…all them impressions are reflected in my music

King's Call live at Alter Schlachthof Lingen Germany, 19.8.2017

Can you remember you picked up a guitar the first time?
I remember picking up that guitar in my early teens and I said to myself – this is it, this is me! It opened up an entirely new world to me…no limits of expression…I would go so far to say that music is a ‘just’ a means…because it’s art. For all I know it could have been acting, writing etc anything.
Decades ago we did not have all the ‘modern’ means kids have nowadays. We played them guitars ‘till they fell apart…so did all the vinyl LPs…as we tried figuring out our fav songs. That guitar we had to earn…our parents did not have much money…No money for lessons therefore. I was just into music 24/7…playing, playing, playing.

Are the lyrics based upon your own life experiences?
The songs I write are all ‘true’ …my own experiences, opinions.

You've used just one guitar at the show in Lingen. You re-tuned it at some point. Do you only play this model (I think it was a Gibson SG) or are there other guitars you experiment with? Is it maybe the good handling that let's you prefer the SG?
That gig night in Lingen I only used my ’87 Les Paul Custom. I’ve tried ‘Cobalt’ strings for the first and I loved ‘em right from the get go. I only own a couple of guitars. That’s all I need. I am not a collector , I am a player ;-)

King's Call live at Alter Schlachthof Lingen Germany, 19.8.2017

How did you find the people that are currently in the band?
The guys in the band…well, Asec the drummer has been with me since day one of ‘’King’s Call’’…all others are helping out whenever they can.

How did it come to the collaboration with Chis Tsangarides? How did you know he's the right choice for producing the "Lion's Den" album as well as the coming output? 
Some of my all time favourite Bands have been produced by Chris Tsangarides (Thin Lizzy,UFO, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore, Judas Priest). It was a natural step to approach him to work with …and let me tell you, he’s one great guy. Superb work he does… and the stories from ‘back then’ he can tell are priceless.

King's Call live at Alter Schlachthof Lingen Germany, 19.8.2017

Could you please let us have a little preview on the coming album, what can the listener expect?
Recording a new album is always a moment in time, a mirror of oneself …as we progress in life…so, does the music. It should at least.

As for the songwriting for the new record: did the other band members also had some influence on the new music or do you prefer to compose on your own?
I write all songs and lyrics, yes.

King's Call will release a brand new album called "Showdown" on 25th November 2017 via Lions Pride Music. It's surely a exciting time so a look upon the band's homepage and Facebook page is highly recommended so you won't miss out on the upcoming album revelations.

The concert series "Lingen Volume" will continue it's way. As for September no show will take place. It's time for the annual city celebrations that already offer lot's of concerts all across the city as Open Air shows. Make sure to follow the further annoucements of the crew behind the concerts on Facebook.

Live Review: Semperfield / Insanity Moments - Lingen 15.07.2017

What a fantastic night! It was a great pleasure to discover two fresh bands at this very summer evening. A little story about feeling like going back to the days of your first concert visits.

Having arrived early at the venue was a plus. I had the pleasure to talk to some people outside of the venue and could easily get into the mood for the evening. The venue this time was a youth center that was kind enough to give new bands a chance and host the event. Sure it's small in there but I love the way the few space is used. For instance there's a area where you can put up your jacket. The holders are mounted underneath a nice collection of vinyl that are drapped at the wall. It feels a bit like home.

Precisely at 20h Insanity Moments took to the stage to open up their set. The band seized their chance and gave the crowd a good insight into their unique sound offers. It's one of those young bands that are able to express the situation they are living in through their music. It felt like a wild mix of Rock, Metal and some easier Pop elements. It talked to me as if it's all about what the guys are going through these days - you can feel that there's the power and sometimes the frustration in that comes along in life. I think it's something that feels like pouring out your heart to someone because you can't hold all of this back.

Insanity Moments live at Kotten Lingen 15.07.2017

Vocalist Jan Blume stood out a bit with his fearless performance. For some reason the audience held a distance to the stage but he filled the gap with going straight into there and perform directly in front of those people. I think that surprised most people and added to the good songs of the band. Check out a live recording done at another venue that the band uploaded to YouTube.


Shortly afterwards Semperfield took over and they played their hearts out this evening. While mostly sticking to the Heavy Rock formula the band played a long and very extended set to the audience. This concert sometimes felt endless to me - and that's a good sign. I thought they would never end this set. Semperfield mostly brought their own original material with them which surely has been inspired by the Foo Fighters but was a great pleasure to the writer of these lines. They also played a cover tune every here and there. Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit" was warmly welcomed by the crowd and the audience changed into a pit feeling like a mirror of the power that was circulating on stage.

Semperfield rocked the youth center Kotten at Lingen 15.07.2017

Here's the videoclip for the band's own song "Dusty Paradise" for you to check out.

Finally it should be mentioned that this was part 3 of a new concert series in Lingen, Germany. Part 4 is already coming up and will take place on August 19th 2017 at Alter Schlachthof in Lingen. Kings Call will be the headliner of that evening. Make sure to pick all the further information from the Facebook page for the concert series.